KV3

KV3 is a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, intended for the burial of an unidentified son of Pharaoh Ramesses III during the early part of the Twentieth Dynasty. It is similar in design to the straight-axis tombs typical of that dynasty. An ostracon written in hieratic script from the time of Ramesses III mentions the founding of a tomb for a royal prince, likely this one.

The tomb follows the design used for tombs in the Valley of the Queens, and its size reflects the effort that would have gone into burying a member of the royal family. It lies on the main path, close to the entrance to the Valley. Past the entrance it barely descends. Two corridors, labeled A and B, lead from the opening, and the second is flanked near its end by two chambers, of which only the south-facing one was finished. Beyond lies a larger room with four pillars and two smaller rooms, then three further rooms, the first two with vaulted ceilings. One of the final vaulted chambers was likely meant as the burial chamber.

Surviving decoration is found only along corridor B and on the gates at either end of it. It shows Rameses III followed by an unnamed prince, attended by various gods and goddesses. More decoration probably existed once, since Karl Lepsius noted traces of paint in the vaulted chambers and mentioned cartouches and images of Ramesses III in the first corridor when he visited in the 1840s.

The unfinished state of a couple of rooms, along with scant archaeological evidence, suggests the tomb was never used. Some have suggested it was originally meant for the prince regent who would succeed as Ramesses IV, and who began his own tomb, KV2, soon after taking the throne. In the Byzantine period the tomb was used as a Christian chapel. Open since ancient times, it was properly excavated only in 1912 by Harry Burton, funded by the American lawyer Theodore M. Davis, and no report of that work was published.

The Valley of the Kings lies on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes. Its tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom over a period of nearly 500 years, from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasty. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 with the rest of the Theban Necropolis.

In terms of its design it closely follows that used for tombs in the Valley of the Queens, and its size reflects the effort that would have gone into burying a member of the royal family. The tomb is located on the main path, close to the entrance to the Valley.

Past the entrance to the tomb, KV3 barely descends any further, a particular feature for other tombs built for other sons of Ramesses III in the Valley of the Queens. There are two corridors (labeled "A" and "B") which lead from the opening to the tomb, with the second passage flanked near the end by two chambers. Of these two chambers, only the one facing south ("Bb") was finished, the other one ("Ba") being only just begun when work on the tomb was abandoned. Past the second corridor is a larger room ("F") containing four pillars, and flanked by two smaller rooms.

Only the side chamber to the north ("Fa") was finished, with work on the second one ("Fb") only just begun when work stopped. Past this room and running along the same axis as the corridor are three further rooms ("G", "H" and "I"), the first two of which have vaulted ceilings. One of these two final vaulted chambers was likely intended as a burial chamber.

What tomb decoration that survives can be found only along the length and flanking gates on either end of corridor B. These show Rameses III followed by an unnamed prince, attended by various gods and goddesses. It is thought that more decoration once existed, since Karl Lepsius noted traces of paint on the vaulted chambers and mentions cartouches and images of Ramesses III in the first corridor when he visited the tomb in the 1840s.

There is evidence that in the Byzantine period the tomb was used as a Christian chapel.

Though open since Ancient times, the tomb was only properly excavated in 1912 by archeologist Harry Burton, which was funded by the wealthy American lawyer Theodore M. Davis. It was one of the last excavations funded by Davis, and no report of this excavation work was published.